The Remembered One
by Cap'n Poptart
Summary: Eight years have passed since Jae left Washington to find a better life. Now she's back for her sister's wedding and has to face those she left behind all those years ago. There were things left unsaid and unsure between her and her best friend, things they had thought would work out, but now it seems that things for them will always be complicated. Sequel to "Forgotten Ones."
1. Jae

**Hey, your boi's back with the sequel! It took me so long to figure out when the hell I wanted this to take place, and after writing a couple chapters of another version that took place three years after "Forgotten Ones" I decided, nah, let's spice things up a bit. So here we are with all-grown-up Jae living her new life! Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

"Jae," a voice whispered, breaking through the mists of sleep. "Jae, your alarm's going off. Jaeyeon!"

The girl groaned and rolled over, burrowing deeper into the blankets in an attempt to tune out her alarm and bedmate. The person beside her, however, was not going to give up that easily. The blankets were suddenly ripped off her, leaving her shivering in the cold morning air.

"Ugh, Ty," she whined while patting the mattress in search of her phone, "the sun isn't even up yet!"

"That's because for some reason we decided to get jobs to, oh I don't know, support ourselves?"

The boy laughed and, after turning off the noisy alarm, wrapped his arms around Jae, slowly dragging her out of bed while peppering her face with light kisses. She wrapped her arms around her neck and smiled up at him, any traces of sleepiness disappearing with each press of his lips against her skin. Waking up to someone as sweet as her boyfriend wasn't too bad, even if they had to get up before the sun.

"So, what is the great Mr. Moon going to have in store for you this morning, Mr. Intern?" she asked Ty in a teasing voice, still finding it hilarious that her father had gotten him a job. "Fetching more coffee? Stapling reports? Oh, I know." She lowered her voice into a more seductive one, "Fixing the copier?"

"Mm, you're getting good at talking dirty," he threw back with a kiss. "But I think today I will be listening to Yerim at the front desk complain about her most recent failed date. I'm telling you, that woman has some extremely high standards."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well let's see." He stepped back as Jae headed for the bathroom to get ready for work. "They have to be a CEO, for one thing."

"Oh, yikes."

"Right? At this rate, I don't think she'll ever find someone to settle down with."

"That's too bad. If she did, you wouldn't have to hear about her dates anymore."

"I know! Hey, do you think she'd go for your boss?"

Jae poked her head around the door and laughed at him. "Mine? The sixty-year-old gay man? Nice try, but keep looking."

"Ah, damn. I thought I had something there." He heard her scoff before turning on the shower. Something on her bedside table caught his eye, so he picked it up and frowned. "Hey, babe, when were you planning on telling me that your sister's getting married?"

"Oh, _fuck!_ I _knew_ I was forgetting to RSVP to something! My mom's going to _kill_ me!"

"Well this explains why your dad thinks I'm too scatterbrained for my own good," he mused to himself. "Wait… when did your sister even start dating? Did we know about this? Oh, wait, is it the guy Minah doesn't like?"

"Oh, yeah, she isn't too fond of her mother marrying this dude!" Jae called over the water. "Especially because it's her guidance counselor!"

"Jaehwa is marrying Minah's _guidance counselor_? Oh man, I cannot wait to meet this guy. Want me to RVSP? I can shoot Jaehwa a quick email while you're getting ready."

"That would be amazing! Love you!"

"Yeah, love you, too!"

Ty wandered over to his laptop and started drafting the email to Jae's sister, making sure to sound adequately apologetic for not RSVPing sooner. He was sure she was out of her mind worrying about what was keeping her sister from coming to the wedding. As he was putting the finishing touches on the message, his eyes drifted to the framed photo sitting next to Jae's computer. It was of her from her high school years with her arms around three boys, the four of them smiling with all the happiness in the world. He knew who they were, or he at least knew their names. Jae didn't really like to talk about her life in America, something that, although he'd never admit it, hurt his feelings. He had told her all about his childhood growing up in New York, even telling her the most painful things he'd had to deal with, but the most he knew about her life from before was that she'd been bullied at school, which was awful, but didn't seem to really affect her anymore. The thing she held closest to her chest was that picture and the stories behind it. He had this hope, as stupid as it was, that maybe she'd confide in him these secrets of her past when they went to Washington for Jaehwa's wedding. It would, after all, be Jae's first time back since she'd left all those years ago. Surely she'd be feeling some strong emotions, and surely she'd share them with him.

"Hey, you're up," she told him as she draped her arms over his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I tried to save some hot water for you."

"Honey, if you want to continue sharing the bed with me, you better pray there's enough hot water left," he threatened with an easy smile. "I love you."

"And I love you too. Now go get washed up. You know my dad doesn't like his interns to look sloppy."

"Yeah, but you love it."

"That is nothing you'll ever be able to prove, sweetheart."

Maybe not, but I enjoy working for it."

Jae rolled her eyes and waved him into the bathroom. Her eyes fell to the photo on her desk, and she felt a familiar sadness pierce her heart. She doesn't know why she even keeps it, considering it gives her so much pain, but seeing her dearest friends smiling up at her, just like they used to when they were younger… it fills her with a strange sort of hope that she'll one day see them again, and that when she does, maybe things won't be so different for them after all.


	2. Minah

"Minah, come on!" Nina laughed at the other girl as she waited at the curb. "Just leave it! No one's going to scratch it!"

"Nina, there is no way I'm letting anyone mess up my baby," Minah replied while looking at her car over her shoulder. She had _just_ gotten her license, and Jake had gifted her an old Ford he'd been working on, so to celebrate Nina had planned a night driving around, but they had to get snacks first. "Jake's going to kill me if I let anything happen to her."

Nina rolled her eyes and grabbed Minah's hands, dragging her onto the sidewalk with her. "Minah, I promise you nothing is going to happen to her. Now can we go get snacks? My stomach's starting to growl!"

The two of them walked into the convenience store hand in hand, subtly letting go when they saw one of Nina's elderly neighbors shopping on the corner. They exchanged glances with each other before heading to separate parts of the store to get everything on their list. Nina was off looking at ice cream when Minah was called over to the cashier. The teen glared at the man across from, bristling at the smirk on his face.

"Brady, what do you want?"

"Oh, me? I just wanted to see how my favorite girl is! You and Nina look cute together by the way."

"We're just friends," Minah hurried to clarify, looking around the store in fear that someone may have heard. "She has a boyfriend, Brady. The quarterback, remember?"

"Honestly, that just screams of compulsory heterosexuality. Like the quarterback? Really?"

"He's, uh, he's really not _that_ bad," Minah insisted as she felt her ears begin to get warmer. "Look, is there anything you need other than suggest things about my friendship with Nina?"

"Uh, yeah, when and where did Jaehwa set up that dancing class for us?"

"You guys are actually gonna go?"

"Considering there will be people other than the pack at this particular wedding, yeah we're gonna go. We don't want to embarrass your mom in front of your family. We heard your grandparents can be quite… intense."

"Tell me about it," Minah grumbled. "You should hear the things they say about Jae's boyfriend."

"Is he the guy who's always on her Instagram?"

"Yep, that's Ty."

"He's super attractive, what's the problem?"

"They're just super old and super old-fashioned. I'm not looking forward to having to spend time with them."

"They're your grandparents, kiddo."

"You'll see what I mean when they get here, Brady."

He shrugged before smiling at Nina as she came up to the counter with her arms full of food. "Have an exciting night planned?"

"We're going on a little road trip!" she told him with a fond glance in Minah's direction. "She just got her license."

"You guys grow up so fast!"

"Can you just ring us up please?" Minah asked. "We've got a pretty tight schedule."

"So, Nina, you bringing your boyfriend to the wedding?"

"I don't really think James would fit in at such an event. Also there's this zombie movie coming out that day and he says he has to go with the rest of the guys on the team. It's whatever. Just means I get to spend the whole night with Minah."

"Sounds nice."

Minah slammed a $50 on the counter and snatched up the snacks Nina had picked out. "Keep the change."

"You really need to learn how to budget!" Brady called after her as he pocketed the money. "Oh, and make good choices!"

Nina smirked at Minah as her friend angrily pulled out of the parking lot and headed onto the highway. Minah had a great relationship with Brady, Collin, and Seth as the three boys acted like her fun—albeit a bit annoying—older brothers instead of the overprotective brothers like the rest of the group.

"Hey, Minah, when does your aunt get in for the wedding?" Nina asked hesitantly, knowing the sort of feelings that came up whenever Jae was mentioned.

"Don't know and don't care."

"Minah—"

"I don't want to hear it, Nina. It's bad enough that my mom is marrying our guidance counselor, but having to see that traitor come back is just too much."

"Minah, I think you're overreacting a bit here."

"She's been gone for eight years! How am I overreacting? She was supposed to come back! But no, she graduates top of her class and gets into some fancy university and dates some fancy guy and has some fancy job and never once did she think about how this would affect us!"

"Don't you think she's entitled to her own life?"

"I would if I was entitled to live my own life."

"Who says you aren't?"

"Um, everyone? My family?"

"You don't know that."

"Yes, NIna, I do. Now can we stop talking about this? Tonight was supposed to be fun, and right now I'm feeling super bummed. Let's just drop it, okay?"

"I'll drop it for now, but I really think you should at least talk with Jae about your feelings when you get the chance. You were really close to her, so it's completely understandable that you're feeling betrayed, but I think that if you see things from her perspective you can move on from all this hatred."

"Ugh, oh my god, just shut up about this! Let's talk about something else like, uh… oh, like what are you going to wear to the wedding?"

"You hate talking about the wedding," Nina said.

"Well I hate talking about _her_ more! So come on, just tell me!"

"Alright, just calm down. You're gonna get us in a wreck!"

"I am not!"

"Minah!"

"Okay, okay! I'll slow down!"

Minah let up on the gas and chanced a look over at her friend. She could feel her throat tighten and heart race as her eyes roamed over Nina's face. She really did look stunning, especially with the moonlight highlighting her features like that. She looked like some sort of goddess, and she was stuck dating someone like James Cooper, the high school quarterback. Just being around her was a blessing, and he treated her like she was someone you pass on the streets. Nina deserved better, but Minah couldn't be the one to give her the love that she deserved, no matter how much they both wanted it. Their families wouldn't allow it. There was just no way, and it broke their hearts. And, as much as it pained Minah to admit this, the one person she felt she could confess all this to was the one person who had betrayed her the most.


	3. Seth

Seth looked up from a file and smiled when he saw Jake enter the office with little Elle in tow with glassy eyes and streaming nose. He clapped his Alpha on the shoulder before kneeling to greet Elle. She looked up at him with such a pitiful expression that he couldn't help but pinch her cheek.

"Let me guess, Leon and Junior gave her their cold," he directed at Jake as he straightened up once more.

Jake let out a long sigh and nodded. "She woke up this morning with a runny nose and fever. I have Embry and Collin covering me this morning so I could bring her here."

"Alright well let's get you checked out and see if Dr. Anderson can make you feel better."

He led the father and daughter duo into the back so he could weigh Elle and mark how much she had grown since the last time she'd come in. She pouted as he checked her blood pressure and placed the thermometer under her tongue. Jake to his own credit wasn't hovering nearly as much as he had when she'd had to get her shots last time. _That_ had been a nightmare. Leon had been struggling to keep on an eye on Junior who had been learning to walk while Jake seemed close to tears as Elle sobbed from the pain of the vaccine. Seth had returned home with ringing ears and heavy heart. It wasn't easy to have to give his pack members' kids vaccines and see the betrayal on their little faces. Quil was in for a treat when he came back from getting his Masters.

"Seth, she'll be okay, right?" Jake asked worriedly as he watched his daughter struggle to climb onto the examination table. Seth could see his muscles tense as he held himself back from grabbing her when she slipped a bit on the paper. "She's not going to die or anything… right?"

"Jake, dude, I love you, but that's one of the stupidest questions I've ever heard. She probably caught a cold from Leon and Junior, so Dr. Anderson will probably just tell you to give her cough syrup and let her get lots of rest. Not much else you can do."

"What if she gets a sinus infection? Leon gets those whenever she's sick."

"You really need to calm down. Like dial it down, bro. Elle is going to be just _fine_."

"I hope they get better before the wedding. We can't hire a babysitter when they're sick!"

Seth let out a long sigh before smiling at the sniffling Elle. "Dr. Anderson will be coming in just a sec, okay? Behave for your dad until then. Try not to give him a heart attack. And, Jake? Please try to relax."

He headed back to the front desk and sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he decided to become a nurse when all he did was deal with fussy sick kids and stressed parents. Well, he knew why. His mom was a nurse, and he'd always wanted to help people and didn't really want to commit to the financial disaster that was medical school, so becoming a nurse was perfect for him. He'd initially wanted to work at the hospital, but then Quil, who was studying to become a nurse practitioner, had convinced him that it was better for them to work in pediatrics. So here he was, working alone while Quil was studying his ass off, Collin was off fixing cars at Jake and Embry's garage, and Brady was the manager of the convenience store. Brady, to his own credit, swore he was using the skills he'd learned in his business classes, but until he actually _owned_ the store, no one was incredibly convinced.

They'd all come a long way from when they had first phased. They'd been a bunch of hormonal teenagers dealing with the shit that was thrown at them. Now they were mostly responsible adults with jobs and, for the most part, families. Jake, after Bella and Edward took their half-breed offspring and the rest of their family up to Alaska, had started dating a girl from Forks High. They had bonded over having a friend leave suddenly, and now they were married, taking care of two tots. Jared and Kim were expecting their first kid in the next couple months, and Sam was enjoying the retired life with Emily and their twin boys. The pack was doing good. Until Jaehwa announced that she and Benjamin were getting married, and that her entire family was coming to the wedding. _That_ was when Seth's life was taken over by probing and self-destructing thoughts about Jae. They'd emailed and called each other practically every day for a year and then a few times a month for another two before they just stopped talking altogether. He hadn't heard from her in years, although he did look at her Instagram more often than he'd care to admit. It had been eight years! You'd think he would have moved on by then, right? He'd had a few girlfriends over the years, but, as Emily had said once when the pack had been teasing him, it's just hard to forget your first love. Especially when your first love, who just happened to be a successful editor, was coming to the wedding and would see how lame he still was. If he couldn't move on from her then the least he could do was be better than her at _something_! But no luck. She had a great job, lived in an amazing apartment, and her boyfriend looked like a fucking god! It just wasn't fair! And what was he doing? Getting upset at someone who held his heart just because their life didn't suck? He was pathetic.

"Thinking about Jae again?" Jake asked, jolting Seth from his little pity party.

"Psh, no. How's Elle?"

"Well she's got a cold alright, but Dr. Anderson said as long as I use this spray and keep her sinuses clear, she shouldn't get an infection."

"That's good." He smiled at Elle and gently poked her stomach. "Your daddy's gonna take good care of you, princess. Feel better okay? I'm sure Minah misses her playmate."

"Minah has Nina," Elle replied in a voice thick with congestion. She swallowed the mucus loudly and let out a heavy breath. "She doesn't like playing with me."

"Who has been telling you these things?" Seth asked with a gasp. "Minah _loves_ playing with you! Nina is just a… well she's a different type of playmate. You're the only one she plays dress-up with, remember?"

"I guess…"

Jake looked down fondly at his five-year-old daughter as he readjusted her on his hip. "I'll bet Minah is just waiting for you to get better. She gets lonely without you, princess. She told me herself. Now let's get you home so you can get better and get back to playing with her, alright?"

"Okay. Bye Uncle Seth!"

"Bye, princess!"

He waved as the father and daughter left the office, and once again he was left alone with his thoughts. Downside to living in a small as town: not as many children to get sick and see them. So, deciding to put off the filing he had to do for a little later, he settled back to scroll through Jae's Instagram, fully aware that Paul was right when he said Seth needed to get back in the dating scene. He couldn't keep floating through life watching Jae live hers from the other side of a screen. Maybe he'd take Collin's advice and download Tinder. Couldn't hurt right? He _did_ need a date for Jaehwa's wedding. He exited Instagram and tapped on the AppStore, fully intending on finally getting over Jae and find someone he could actually be with. It was time for him to move on.


	4. Leah

Contrary to popular belief, Leah Clearwater felt emotions other than anger, betrayal, and heartbreak. For instance she felt grief, happiness on occasion, and, more often than not, annoyance. One emotion, though, that her pack brothers would come to think defines her is loyalty, and loyalty is exactly what would make her drive to Seattle in the middle of the night. She was loyal to her pack, of course, but also loyal to a woman who had come to be a very close friend of hers: Jaehwa Moon. The older female had become a sort of confidante for Leah and had helped the shapeshifter come to terms with everything that had befallen her. So when Jaehwa had come to her asking Leah to drive with her fiancé to pick up her sister from the airport, Leah had agreed despite the ungodly hour. And honestly, Leah could admit she liked the man her friend was to marry in a few short days.

Benjamin Reyes was actually quite handsome when you got past the fact he was a high school guidance counselor. He had gorgeous brown skin, beautiful brown eyes, and the most luscious locks Leah had seen on any man, and the guys in the pack were known for their pretty hair. He wasn't the tallest, but he was lean, although he hid his fit physique under sweaters for the most part. And the thing that really ticked the pack off is that Benjamin is a really great guy. He's the whole fucking package! He seemed to be completely in love with Jaehwa and hadn't been scared away by the fact that this would be her third marriage despite her young age. And he'd actually _volunteered_ to give up precious sleep time to drive all the way to Sea-Tac to pick up Jae and her boyfriend. The man drove Leah wild trying to figure him out, but she was still glad her friend was finally going to get her happy ending.

"Leah, I know we've only really known each other for a few months, but I'd like to consider us friends," Benjamin said after an hour of just the Top 40 filling the car.

"It's funny, if you were anybody else, I'd probably duck out of the car right now," Leah replied with a laugh, "but since it's you, I'm going to have to agree. You've managed to worm your way into even my good graces, Benny."

"Yes, well, I've been told I have a talent for it. But, Leah, considering we're friends, I feel like I should warn you about something."

"Oh no, what is it?" Her fingers unintentionally tightened around the steering wheel. "Did I do something to piss off Jaehwa?"

"No, no, nothing like that! She just… well you know how much she just wants you to be happy, right?"

"Benny, please tell me she didn't."

"Yeah, she invited a few men from her work for you to meet," he told her with an apologetic grimace. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't say no."

"You really are too nice for your own good. I also distinctly remember telling her that I _enjoy_ the single life! I wasted so much of my youth hung up on some asshole, and I'm just now loosening up."

After six years of being bitter about the whole Sam and Emily thing, Leah, with some help from Jaehwa, Leon, and Rachel, had _finally_ gotten past it, and she'd been living the single life for the past five years. She'd had a few boyfriends, but nothing really serious, and she was _loving_ it. She was twenty-seven, and, in her opinion, too young to settle down. She wasn't even sure she wanted to settle down; after all, she was practically immortal. She didn't have to make that decision for at least a few more decades. Jaehwa, however, didn't know that, and she was worried if Leah didn't find someone now, she'd forever regret not getting married when she was young and fertile. If only she knew…

"I know, but you know how stubborn she gets! She's also under the impression that she's actually good at matchmaking."

"What?" The car swerved a bit as Leah lost control in her shock. "Quil's still terrified after his date with the last girl Jaehwa set him up with! She tried to follow him home!"

"I can't bring myself to shatter her dreams."

"You're fucking whipped, you know that?"

"Yes, unfortunately I do." He tossed her a grin. "I'm marrying her, remember? Oh, turn the volume up. I actually like this song!"

"You're only thirty-five, not fifty," Leah grumbled but turned up the volume anyways.

The two of them fell into companionable silence as they drove closer to the airport. If Leah was being honest, which she usually was especially after meeting guidance counselor Benjamin, she was both nervous and excited to see Jae. She hadn't seen the young girl since Jae was still practically a child. Eight years is a long time, especially when one of them was still growing. Leah couldn't believe Jae Moon was a grown woman with a college degree and job and boyfriend. Sometimes it didn't even seem like any time had passed. There were days when Leah walked into Emily's and expected to see the three pups and Jae crawling over each other and yelling over some stupid video game. Those days were far behind them, but Leah could hardly believe it. She'd be facing that reality soon enough.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Benjamin asked as they passed an exit sign for Seattle-Tacoma Airport. "Seeing Jae, I mean."

"I think I'm fine, Benny." She bit her lip as she took the next exit and saw the lights of the waiting taxis waiting in front of her. "I don't know, I guess I'm just not sure I'm ready to see the bright eyed kid I knew to be a sophisticated woman, you know?"

"Trust me, Leah, Jae is not that much different than when you knew her."

"I've seen her Instagram." She remembered liking a few artsy pictures of Jae's profile in some coffee shop or in front of a sea-side sunset that were no doubt taken by the girl's boyfriend. "It's kind of intimidating."

"Ty's putting together a portfolio. Mr. Moon's got him a job at his company, but he really wants to be a photographer, so he uses Jae as his model for his portfolio," Benjamin told her with an amused smile. "It looks pretentious, I know, and so does Ty, but he finds it all hilarious."

"Well it's good to know Jae's boyfriend has a sense of humor."

"Did you think he didn't?"

"The few pictures of him I've seen he just looks really intimidating. Much like Jae, actually."

"I'm surprised the great Leah Clearwater gets intimidated by lesser beings like us," he teased as Leah pulled up to the curb.

"Oh, shut up, you."

They scanned the area for any sign of the young couple, but it didn't seem like they were out yet. Leah parked the car and got out, leaving the engine idling. She leaned back through the window.

"I'm gonna go check baggage claim, 'kay? Keep an eye out for them out here."

"Aye, aye!"

She rolled her eyes before entering the airport, looking around her for any sign of a familiar face, although she knew Jae looked a lot different than when she left. She was about to give up when she caught whiff of a faintly familiar scent. Vanilla and birchwood.

"Leah!" a voice called from her right as the smell got stronger.

And there, as she turned around, was Jae. She'd actually grown a bit, much to Leah's surprise, but Leah still towered over her. Her face had lost most of its baby fat and had leaned out, its features becoming more defined, but those eyes still sparkled with the same curiosity and mischief. Grown-up Jae seemed completely different yet still so similar to teenage Jae.

"Hey, Jae, long time no see," Leah greeted with a hesitant smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, this is my boyfriend, Ty."

And damn was the man good looking! He may have been more handsome than his pictures, and he was, as the girls had said once when they stalked Jae's social media back at Emily's, positively _delicious_ in photos. Standing two inches taller than Leah, Ty was the textbook definition of tall, dark, and handsome. If he was single and she'd run across him at some bar, she would have definitely gone home with him. Given how handsome he was, it was amusing to see how shy he really was. He ducked his head as he shook Leah's hand and gravitated back to Jae's side as Leah led them back to the car.

"Hey!" Benjamin called when he saw exit the automatic doors. "You made it in one piece!"

"Hey, Benny," Jae greeted with a tired smile before he swept her in a warm hug. "Excited to tie the knot?"

"Absolutely, although I know Minah isn't the happiest camper."

A flicker of sadness crossed Jae's face as Leah watched her. "Yeah, I don't think she would remember the last time her mom got married. This is all new territory, and I guess it's strange to think her new step-father is her guidance counselor."

"That's why I'm trying to give her some space."

Jae crawled into the backseat as Benjamin attempted to help Leah and Ty load the bags into the trunk. Finally they all got in, and Leah pulled away from the curb. As she got them started on the drive back, her eyes seemed to be drawn back to the rearview mirror time and time again. Jae's head was resting on Ty's shoulder as his leaned back against the headrest; both of them had fallen asleep pretty soon after they had gotten on the highway. Leah knew Seth would have some trouble adjusting to having his first love back, especially since Jae had a boyfriend, but Leah thought this was good for him. He needed to move on from his high school crush, much like she'd moved on from hers.


End file.
